Weekly online column by freelance writer David Matthews 2.
Active since April of 1996, BEFORE MSNBC or Fox News!"Freedom isn't limited to the dominant opinion or belief. Freedom is the right to say 'No' even when the appropriate answer is 'Yes.'"

Monday, July 20, 2015

Week of 07/20/2015

Yes, “Mockingbird” And “Watchmen” Icon Can Be The Same Person- by David Matthews 2

So the literary world has been all ablaze about Harper Lee’s second
book being released.“Go Set A Watchman”
is the long-awaited sequel to Lee’s classic 1960 story “To Kill A Mockingbird”,
which was made into a motion picture in 1962 and got lead actor Gregory Peck an
Academy Award.

An interesting tidbit about “Go Set A Watchman” that has been making
the rounds in the media is that this was actually the first story Lee wrote and
submitted for publication.It was her
publisher’s rejection of the story and urging to change certain elements of it
that led her to come up with “Mockingbird” as a prequel of sorts.

But what has people all fired up is the most drastic change in Lee’s
iconic main character: attorney Atticus Finch.

In “Mockingbird”, he defended a black man accused of a violent crime in
a very segregated and prejudicial Alabama town in the 1930’s.His noble sentiments and lofty ideals of how
men and women should treat each other were considered examples of a South that
bucked the stereotype of time.

But in “Watchman”, we see a different Atticus Finch.One who is older, bitter, and very much a segregationist
and a racist.He’s even attended a
meeting or two of the Klu Klux Klan in the divisive 1950’s.

Now, in all honesty, I have yet to read either book, so I can’t tell
you whether or not these characterizations are really in there.I’d rather focus on the
Internet reaction to Lee’s new book compared to what people know about her
original story.

Some folks refuse
to acknowledge that the older Finch could even be the same man that once
defended Tom Robinson in the 1930’s.“If
Atticus began as a racist... then had a transformational experience... that
might make sense,” opined Internet personality “bkay”. “But being first exposed
to... a compassionate caring wise Atticus and now to someone with opposite
traits is like asking us to go backwards.”

Some dismiss “Watchman” is being simply a rough draft to the more “polished”
original story. One person even went so far as to say that there are four
“parallel world” versions of Atticus Finch, with one being the younger
Atticus in “Mockingbird”, one being the older version in “Watchman”, one being
the Atticus portrayed in the movie by Peck, and then there is the idealized
Atticus that people hold in their heads and inspires them to be lawyers and
reporters and seekers of truth, and, yes, even superheroes.

Well, I hate to burst your bubbles on this, critics, but I have to
disagree.It is entirely possible for
the old, bitter, and bigoted Atticus to be the same man from “Mockingbird”.Not only is it possible, I’ve actually seen it
happen.

Let’s get brutally honest here... our ideas and our perspectives on the
world we live in are always subject to revision.Our experiences can either validate what we
believe, or they can force us to update those beliefs.And while we would like to believe that with
age comes wisdom, I’ve seen people go in the opposite direction as well.

How many people do you know that changed their views after what
happened on September 11th of 2001?How
many people went from tolerating Muslims to outright hating them and becoming
bigoted fundamentalists after that day?

There’s an old joke that says “Do you know how to turn a liberal into a
conservative?Rob him.”Sadly, though, there is truth to that as some
people have changed their views on life because they were the victims of a
violent crime, or because of some other kind of tragedy that either affects
them or someone they know and love.

In fact, regular life experiences can force us to change and revise our
views.How many fun-loving libertines
became bible-thumping neo-conservatives simply because they became
parents?How many progressive and
acceptable parents became bible-thumping fundamentalists because they realize
that they’re old and they only have a few more years left on this planet?How many “tolerant” people became “Tea Party”
hoaxers because Barack Obama got elected President?Even the people you work with and interact
with on a regular basis can have an effect on how you view things.

Of course, most of these changes don’t just happen overnight.You don’t wake up one morning and totally
change your views to be a complete opposite of what you previously stood for.Two decades pass between “Mockingbird” and “Watchmen”.Two decades full of life and life events both
great and small getting in one’s face and saying “There!What do you think about that?”

There’s something else that needs to be said.As I understand it, both stories are told
from the perspective of a young woman named Jean Louse, aka “Scout”.In “Mockingbird”, Scout’s just a little
girl.In “Watchman”, she’s an
adult.We sometimes see our parents to
be something larger than life when we’re little, only to see them in a new
light with adult eyes.And maybe Scout
did see her father as being someone good and decent and noble, only to discover
when she’s grown up that he wasn’t really that person at all.That too is one of life’s events that cause
us to re-evaluate what we believe.

If anything, Harper Lee should be praised for coming up with a
character that isn’t static between the two books.For coming up with a character that changes
with the times, even if it is for the worse.And rather than mourn the “loss” of a literary icon that stood for
something good and decent, we should use this as a cautionary example, to show
that even the best of us can change into something that our younger selves
would barely recognize.

Get Brutal Productions

Your source for all things involving David 2

Required disclaimer and other yadda-yaddas

(Sorry... but I gotta cover my ass on this stuff!)

I am letting the world see these articles in hopes that some of you will read them and be enlightened, informed, and sometimes even amused. However, I must point out that these articles are the intellectual property of David Matthews 2 and Get Brutal Productions. Should any publication wish to reproduce or otherwise purchase any of these articles, you should E-mail me for details. You'll find I'm pretty reasonable. I am not responsible for any missing or broken links to external websites. These links are for related information only. I cannot make any guarantees to the authenticity of external websites. The articles presented reflect the opinions and talents of David Matthews 2. They do NOT necessarily reflect the opinions of the Internet provider. Furthermore, David Matthews 2 is NOT a lawyer, nor does he claim to ever be a member of any medical or legal profession. He is, however, willing to play one on TV. Shake well before opening. Let cool for five minutes before serving. Remove tag under penalty of law. Be kind, rewind. Buckle up, it's the law. This is not your brain on drugs, this is an omelet with bacon. And for crêpes sake, RIGHT LANE SLOW, LEFT LANE FAST!